For two weeks, Ben Johnson has had to build an offense around quarterbacks nobody expected to be carrying the Bears.

And somehow, it’s worked better than anyone could’ve imagined.

Chicago beat Philadelphia 27-7 with 38-year-old third-stringer Case Keenum, then beat the Jets 23-12 six days later with Tyson Bagent. The Bears held the ball for a combined 79 minutes and 38 seconds and ran for 360 yards.

But they also didn’t shrink the offense just because the starter was out.

That’s the balance Johnson needs to keep when Williams does come back. Don’t coach scared. Don’t take the ball out of the franchise quarterback’s hands. Just keep coaching like every difficult dropback is something the offense should have to earn.

The Bears Made The Answers Obvious

The Keenum game was probably the clearest example of Johnson doing the quarterback’s homework for him.

Chicago had leaned on plenty of three-tight-end personnel through the first two weeks, but Johnson shifted toward three receivers because that’s where Keenum looked most comfortable. He built in quick throws, used play action to move defenders and got the ball out before Philadelphia’s pass rush could turn the game into a problem. Keenum’s average time to throw was just 2.25 seconds.

The touchdowns were picture-perfect snapshots of the plan. Luther Burden III scored on a shovel pass out of an empty formation. Kalif Raymond caught a crossing route with nobody close enough to bother him and turned it into a 41-yard score.

Keenum still had to make the throws. He completed 24 of 34 passes for 247 yards and two touchdowns. But Johnson wasn’t asking him to stare down disguised coverage and magically come up with an answer. He created the answer, then let Keenum deliver it on time.

That’s not babying a quarterback. That’s just good offense.

The Jets Game Was Beautifully Boring

Against New York, he protected Bagent in a different way.

The Bears ran 54 times for 232 yards. Kyle Monangai handled 30 of those carries for 146 yards and two touchdowns. Chicago ran 89 plays, picked up a franchise-record 34 first downs, never punted, and held the ball for 42:45.

The Jets had the ball for 45 seconds in the fourth quarter.

That’s outrageous.

Johnson’s offense had only two plays that lost yardage before the kneel-downs. They saw just one third down longer than six yards. After New York scored with 9:16 left, Chicago answered with an 18-play drive and never gave the ball back.

Bagent wasn’t hidden, either. He went 25-of-34 for 268 yards, including seven completions on 10 throws that traveled more than 10 yards downfield. He also threw an interception and didn’t have a touchdown. That’s fine. The Bears built a game where their backup could be useful without having to be the reason they won.

Johnson said he’s always looking for big plays, but there weren’t many negative ones forcing his hand. That’s the lesson here.

This Offense Already Has The Backs To Pull This Off

The Bears finished third in the NFL in rushing last season with 2,456 yards. D’Andre Swift and Monangai were the league’s only running-back duo to top 750 yards each. Through four games this year, Chicago leads the NFL with 785 rushing yards on 159 attempts. Swift and Monangai have already cleared 300 yards apiece.

Even the Week 1 fireworks with Williams came from that same foundation. Chicago scored 59 points against Carolina, but the bigger story was the 291 rushing yards. Swift ran for 124, Monangai added 100, and Williams chipped in 65 more.

This isn’t a plea to drag the offense back to 1943. It’s just a reminder that the run game's too good to turn into window dressing because Williams can make throws Keenum and Bagent can’t.

Caleb Should Get The Easy Version Too

Williams is supposed to expand Johnson’s offense. His arm talent, movement skills, and willingness to hunt big plays are exactly why Chicago can find answers most teams can’t.

But “Caleb can save this play” can’t become the plan.

Keep the backs involved. Keep the quarterback ahead of the sticks. Keep creating throws where Burden can catch the ball on the move, Raymond can run away from somebody. Colston Loveland doesn’t have to beat three defenders just to get open.

Then, when the defense crowds the line or spins into the wrong coverage, let Williams do the ridiculous stuff.

The point isn’t to coach Williams like he’s Bagent. It’s to give him the same help from a good plan: a run game the defense has to respect, a clear first answer, and less snaps that start with the quarterback being asked to rescue everybody.

Chicago just won two games because Johnson made things ridiculously easy for backup quarterbacks.

There’s no reason to turn on that when the better quarterback comes back.

The Bears host the Packers in a divisional matchup Sunday at 1 p.m. ET on Fox and streaming on Fox One.

All stats courtesy of Fantasy Points Data.

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